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Fifty Shades of Freedom

If you ever want to lose an audience, start talking federalism. Sure, a few of us policy geeks love this foundational principle of American polity but the other 97.4 percent closes the browser window faster than you can say “Alexis de Tocqueville.”

Simply put, federalism divides political power between the Beltway and each of the 50 states. Washington, D.C. handles the big issues (international treaties, national defense, printing money, etc.) and the states handle the rest. This arrangement allows each state to tailor laws to their wants and needs while ensuring basic civil rights are protected.

With federalism, California can follow the economic wisdom of Greece, while Texas dumps red tape into the wood chipper. Utah can limit easy access to booze and pot while Colorado hands out shot glasses and rolling papers. Best of all, it’s easier for American citizens to register their wishes with local leaders and vote with their feet if they strongly disagree.

But as appealing as the concept is, federalism just isn’t sexy. I’ve tried channeling Frank Luntz to create a slick, dial-moving term. “States’ Rights” is accurate, but some ugly segregationists linked it with unequal treatment. “Local control” works, but it evokes neighborhoods more than entire states. And although I didn’t think it was possible, “subsidiarity” sounds even dorkier than “federalism.”

I’ve heard the book is awful (I haven’t read it – promise!), but let’s jujitsu the title from pop culture. And while that bestseller deals in bondage, our title will help break the chains and set Americans free.

Not only did Alexis de Tocqueville have a sexy French name, he was one of the first to praise America’s decentralized system. It allowed the national government to focus on "a small number of objects… sufficiently prominent to attract its attention," and left "secondary affairs" to local leaders. However these days, Washington, D.C. focuses much of its attention “prominent objects” like cowboy poetry, pickle circumference and robot squirrels.

It doesn’t have to be this way, especially since federalism can be a bipartisan issue. National Review says that “conservatives should recommit themselves to federalism” while Slate makes “the case for liberal federalism.” If Portlandia wants different rules than Paducah, may God (or Gaia) bless them both.

Besides, what could be less sexy than a dreary, conformist, one-size-fits-all nanny state that not only intrudes into your bedroom, but into every room of your house, workplace and favorite nightclub? Let’s face it, D.C. bureaucrats are the ultimate buzzkill.

Maybe federalism isn’t the sexiest topic around, but it could be the best way to keep government out of our lives and our wallets.

The fact that our legislators are living in DC year round is proof we have gotten off track. When our republic started congress was in session until spring each year and then went home after they took care of the limited business that was on the agenda.
"The good ole days"

Conservatives need to link "federalism" to a lifestyle that all Americans wish to attain. This is a consumer society, and liberals have developed a "brand Obama" that is the Walmart version of democracy: accessible, cheap,and made in China. No one aspires to that lifestyle, no one brags about shopping at Walmart, but 100s of millions do. Federalism is a classic, an heirloom from our forefathers that is priceless yet belongs to all of us, equally. Liberals gain power by dividing and conquering, they "sell" the idea that federalism is a private country club for rich, white men; and Republicans run the party like it is one. Please don't try to "pimp" federalism to make it more appealing to the masses. If you give people a choice between a Rolex or a Timex they'll take the Rolex. Work harder at making the connection between Obama and the liberals and their worthless, cheap Walmart version of democracy. Make the association between federalism and the good life and then show people how federalism works. Schools and liberals aren't teaching freedom and democracy, they teach victimization and dependence. Give people back their power and strength and they will follow regardless of the name.

On Saturday, Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin addressed CPAC, and according to at least one observer, was the best speaker of the conference. After he finished, he agreed to address a small gathering of bloggers to expand on the points he made in his speech.Of his main speech, Solomon Yue, Oregon RNC National Committeeman, said,

It has been four months since the election and Republicans are still in a funk. Whether hanging out at CPAC, in the local GOP office or on social media, wherever two or more are gathered in the Elephant’s name, the mood is downright dark. If Dr. Roget released his thesaurus today, under “conservative” you’d find blue, bummed, crestfallen, dejected, despondent, disconsolate, glum, lugubrious, morose, pessimistic and woebegone.

The federal government was created by the states. Simple enough, right? In the era of massive federal government expansion, simple facts are easily lost. Lest we lose hold of our plumb line, even the simplest, most basic tenets of our founding principles bear repeating.

Leave it to the Lone Star State to put up a fight. Despite unprecedented federal government expansion, Texas is determined to flex their Constitutionally granted state powers. At the helm is Governor Perry, known for his love of the tenth amendment.

Most Americans are aware of very few of their Constitutional rights, or more accurately, Constitutional protections. As kids we try unsuccessfully to "plead the fifth" when mom questions us about the broken lamp and as teenagers, we love to remind our parents of our right to free speech. But aside from these few, there's an unfortunate ignorance about our other protections, in particular the tenth amendment.

I miss the heady days of January 2012, just 12 months ago. Sure, the economy was lousy, GOP primary debates were tedious, and “We Bought a Zoo” was still in theatres. But there was a faint glimmer of hope on the horizon.Conservatives had made huge gains in 2010, the Supreme Court had a decent chance of tossing out Obamacare, and the presidential approval rating was well under 50 percent. If everything broke just right, the GOP could recapture the White House and start to fix the economic damage.

Ask your neighbors and co-workers a simple question: "What are the wealthiest counties in America?" Here are the answers I got:“Is Manhattan a county? That has to be one of the richest.”“Which county has Beverly Hills?”“San Francisco County has to be up there. Silicon Valley too.”